Methods, systems, and products for facilitating electronic purchases

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for facilitating electronic purchases. A record of a customer&#39;s selection of items is received at a merchant&#39;s server. Some items in the record are associated with a different merchant and were selected from the different merchant&#39;s website. The merchant inspects the record for items associated with the different merchant. The merchant sends a recommendation to the customer to remove a different merchant&#39;s item and to instead add a substitute item associated with the merchant.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION

A portion of this disclosure and its figures contain material subject tocopyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to thefacsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patentdisclosure, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever.

BACKGROUND

This application generally relates to data processing and, moreparticularly, to automated electrical financial or business practice ormanagement arrangement.

Shared or common shopping carts are known. When a customerelectronically shops online merchants, the customer establishes anelectronic shopping cart. Some online merchants accept and recognize acommon or universal shopping cart, in which the customer's shopping cartcontains items from multiple merchants. That is, the customer visitsmultiple merchants and fills their cart with items from one or more ofthe merchants. Despite the different merchants, the customer makes a“single check-out” transaction.

These shared or common shopping carts, however, can be improved. As thecustomer electronically shops the various merchants, there is no easymethod of comparing each merchant's products and services. The customermust locate an item at one merchant's website, then logout and visit adifferent merchant's website. If multiple merchants offer similar items,the customer must visit each merchant's website and make comparisons.What is needed, however, are advancements that automate comparisonshopping and that promote competition amongst merchants.

SUMMARY

The aforementioned problems, and other problems, are reduced, accordingto the exemplary embodiments, using methods, systems, and products thatfacilitate electronic purchases. The exemplary embodiments describe anelectronic commerce software application that analyzes an electronicrecord, such as an electronic shopping cart. This electronic commerceapplication, however, provides features that promote competition betweenmerchants. For example, before a customer “checks out” and purchasesitems in the shopping cart, the exemplary embodiments allow a merchantto “peek” inside the cart. The merchant can inspect the items in theshopping cart and determine whether better terms can be offered foritems in the cart. If a merchant can offer better terms (such as a lowerprice), exemplary embodiments permit the merchant to pluck anothermerchant's items from the cart. That is, one merchant can delete adifferent merchant's items from the customer's electronic shopping cart.If, for example, TARGET® can offer a lower price, better financing, orany other appealing terms, TARGET® may remove WAL-MART® items from acustomer's cart. The exemplary embodiments, then, promote competitionamongst merchants to the benefit of the customer.

The exemplary embodiments include methods, systems, and products forfacilitating electronic purchases. One such method receives at amerchant's server a record of a customer's selection of items. Someitems in the record are associated with a different merchant and wereselected from the different merchant's website. The merchant inspectsthe record for items associated with the different merchant. Themerchant sends a recommendation to the customer to remove a differentmerchant's item and to instead add a substitute item associated with themerchant.

In another of the embodiments, a system facilitating electronicpurchases. An electronic commerce application stores in memory, and aprocessor communicates with the memory. The processor receives a recordof a customer's selection of items. Some items are associated with adifferent merchant and are selected from the different merchant'swebsite. The processor inspects the record for items associated with thedifferent merchant. The processor sends a recommendation to the customerto remove a different merchant's item and to instead add a substituteitem associated with the merchant.

In yet another embodiment, a computer program product managescommunications. The computer program product comprises acomputer-readable medium storing computer code for receiving at amerchant's server a record of a customer's selection of items. Some ofthe items are associated with a different merchant and are selected fromthe different merchant's website. The record is inspected for itemsassociated with the different merchant. A recommendation is sent to thecustomer to remove a different merchant's item and to instead add asubstitute item associated with the merchant.

Other systems, methods, and/or computer program products according tothe exemplary embodiments will be or become apparent to one withordinary skill in the art upon review of the following drawings anddetailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems,methods, and/or computer program products be included within thisdescription, be within the scope of the claims, and be protected by theaccompanying claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplaryembodiments are better understood when the following DetailedDescription is read with reference to the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an electronic commerce application,according to exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a recommendation process, accordingto more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating substitution of an item, according toeven more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a notification procedure, accordingto still more exemplary embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating a counteroffer, according toexemplary embodiments;

FIG. 6 depicts another possible operating environment for the exemplaryembodiments; and

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of facilitating electronicpurchases.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodimentsmay, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough andcomplete and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those ofordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein recitingembodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended toencompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof.Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include bothcurrently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in thefuture (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function,regardless of structure).

Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill inthe art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the likerepresent conceptual views or processes illustrating the exemplaryembodiments. The functions of the various elements shown in the figuresmay be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well ashardware capable of executing associated software. Similarly, anyswitches shown in the figures are conceptual only. Their function may becarried out through the operation of program logic, through dedicatedlogic, through the interaction of program control and dedicated logic,or even manually, the particular technique being selectable by theentity implementing this invention. Those of ordinary skill in the artfurther understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes,methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrativepurposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particularnamed manufacturer.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an electronic commerce application20, according to exemplary embodiments. The electronic commerceapplication 20 is a set of processor-executable instructions that arestored in memory 22 of a communications device 24. Although thecommunications device 24 is shown as a computer server 26, thecommunications device 24, as will be later explained, may be anyprocessor-controlled device. Whatever the communications device 24, theelectronic commerce application 20 facilitates e-commerce purchases by acustomer. As the customer selects items for a shopping cart, exemplaryembodiments permit a merchant to inspect the contents of that shoppingcart. If the merchant can offer a lower price on an item in shoppingcart, then that merchant can remove another merchant's item from theshopping cart and, instead, add a substitute and/or comparable item.Exemplary embodiments, then, promote competition amongst merchants byallowing merchants to “peek” inside the shopping cart. Merchants mayrecommend alternative items, or cheaper items, that benefit thecustomer.

FIG. 1 illustrates some of the exemplary embodiments. The computerserver 26 is affiliated with, operated by, or owned by a merchant 28.The computer server 26 may alternatively or additionally be operated onbehalf of the merchant 28, such that at least a portion of the memory 22stores data on behalf of the merchant 28. The computer server 26receives a record 30 via a communications network 32. The record 30electronically describes a selection 34 of items a customer wishes topurchase. Although the record 30 may have any electronic structure, therecord 30 may be an electronic shopping cart 36 that contains adescription of the items. The record 30 may comprise the merchant'sitems 38, and the record 30 may comprise at least some differentmerchant's items 40. That is, the record 30 includes items selected bythe customer from a different merchant's e-commerce website. Multiplemerchants receive the record 30 (e.g., the shopping cart 36), and thecustomer can select items from each merchant's site prior to commencinga single sale transaction (e.g., “single checkout”). Because a common orshared electronic shopping cart is known, this patent will not furtherdiscuss the structure of the record 30. If, however, the reader desiresa more detailed explanation, the reader is invited to consult thefollowing references, with each reference incorporated herein byreference in their entirety: U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,141 to Bezos et al.(Feb. 22, 2000); U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,482 to DiAngelo et al. (Aug. 8,2000); U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,029,141 to 6,405,176 to Toohey (Jun. 11, 2002);U.S. Pat. No. 6,850,899 to Chow et al. (Feb. 1, 2005); U.S. Pat. No.6,882,981 to Philippe et al. (Apr. 19, 2005); and Published U.S. PatentApplication 2005/0131772 to Chow et al. (Jun. 16, 2005).

When the merchant's computer server 26 receives the record 30, theelectronic commerce application 20 inspects the record 30. Theelectronic commerce application 20 reviews the record 30 for itemsassociated with the different merchants. When the electronic commerceapplication 20 finds a different merchant's item, the electroniccommerce application 20 determines whether the merchant can offer betterterms for that item. The electronic commerce application 20, forexample, may determine if a lower price may be offered on the same item,a comparable item, and/or a substitute item. The electronic commerceapplication 20 may additionally or alternatively offer differentfinancing and/or warranty terms that may entice the customer to switchmerchants. The electronic commerce application 20 may additionally oralternatively offer an item with more or different features, higherperformance, different colors, better safety features or specifications,or an immediate availability. The electronic commerce application 20 mayadditionally or alternatively offer a bundle of items to replace one ormore items from a different merchant.

The electronic commerce application 20 may query inventory, pricing, andother systems. As the electronic commerce application 20 determineswhether the merchant can offer better terms, the electronic commerceapplication 20 may query an inventory database 42, a pricing database44, and/or a comparison database 46. The inventory database 42 storesinventory records, and the electronic commerce application 20 queriesthe inventory database 42 to determine whether the merchant's item canbe shipped within some date parameter. The pricing database 44 storespricing information, and the electronic commerce application 20 queriesthe pricing database 44 when comparing prices. The comparison database46 stores comparison records, such as the above-mentioned financingand/or warranty terms, different features, higher performance, differentcolors, better safety features or specifications, or any othercomparison. The electronic commerce application 20 queries thecomparison database 46 to determine which of the merchant's items couldbe a comparable item, a substitute item, or an alternative item. Theelectronic commerce application 20 may also query the comparisondatabase 46 to determine any terms that may persuade or entice thecustomer to switch items and merchants. The comparison database 46 mayprovide a comprehensive map of items, allowing the electronic commerceapplication 20 to make compelling suggestions for substitution. Theelectronic commerce application 20 sends a query to either database 44,46, and 48. The electronic commerce application 20 then receives aresponse to the query via the communications network 32. Becausequerying databases is well known, FIG. 1 does not show the details ofthese querying operations.

The exemplary embodiments operate regardless of the network environment.The communications network 32 may have any structure, such as a cablenetwork operating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the InternetProtocol (IP) domain. The communications network 32, however, may alsoinclude a distributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimesalternatively known as the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-areanetwork (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communicationsnetwork 32 may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines,and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network 32 may eveninclude wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagneticspectrum and any signaling standard (such as the I.E.E.E. 802 family ofstandards, GSM/CDMA/TDMA or any cellular standard, and/or the ISM band).The concepts described herein may be applied to any wireless/wirelinecommunications network, regardless of physical componentry, physicalconfiguration, or communications standard(s).

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating a recommendation process, accordingto more exemplary embodiments. When the electronic commerce application20 determines that the merchant can offer better terms for an item, theelectronic commerce application 20 sends a recommendation 48. Therecommendation 48 describes the better terms 50 for the item. Therecommendation 48 may also seek authorization to remove a differentmerchant's item and to instead add the merchant's own item to the record30 (e.g., the shopping cart 36). The recommendation 48 may even describethe better terms 50 for multiple items associated with one or moredifferent merchants. The recommendation 48 may include a savings 52. Thesavings 52 describes an amount of money that the customer will save byselecting the merchant's substitute item. The recommendation 48communicates to an Internet Protocol address 54 associated with therecord 30. FIG. 2 illustrates the recommendation 48 communicating to thecustomer's device 56 via the communications network 32.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a response 58, according to even more exemplaryembodiments. Here the response 58 comprises an approval 60 for themerchant to remove the different merchant's item from the record 30.Recall the recommendation describes the better terms 50 for the item.The response 58, then, authorizes the electronic commerce application 20to delete a different merchant's item from the record 30. The response58, of course, may comprise a denial 62, where the customer does notauthorize a substitution. The electronic commerce application 20 mayadditionally or alternatively assume a denial if no response to therecommendation 48 is received.

FIG. 3 is a schematic illustrating substitution of an item, according toeven more exemplary embodiments. Here the record 30 is shown storing inthe memory 22 of the computer server 26. If the response (shown asreference numeral 58 in FIG. 2) provides authorization, the electroniccommerce application 20 removes a different merchant's item 64 from therecord 30. The electronic commerce application 20 then adds to therecord 30 a substitute item 66. The substitute item 66 is associatedwith the merchant, such that the merchant's substitute item 66 replacesthe different merchant's item 64. Suppose the record 30 contains atoaster oven selected from Wal-Mart's website. If, prior to check-out,the record 30 communicates to www.target.com, then the exemplaryembodiments permit TARGET® to offer a lower price and/or better termsfor the same or comparable toaster oven. Because exemplary embodimentspermit TARGET® to inspect the contents of the record 30, TARGET® has anopportunity to offer a lower price for any item in the customer'sshopping cart. If the customer provides authorization, TARGET® canremove Wal-Mart's toaster oven and, instead, add Target's substitutetoaster oven. Exemplary embodiments, then, promote competition amongstmerchants by allowing merchants to “peek” inside the record 30.Merchants may recommend alternative items, or cheaper items, thatbenefit the customer.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustrating a notification procedure, accordingto still more exemplary embodiments. If the customer providesauthorization to substitute an item (such as the response 58 shown inFIG. 2), here the electronic commerce application 20 notifies thedifferent merchant. That is, before an item is removed from the record30, the electronic commerce application 20 sends a notification 68. Thenotification 68 communicates from the merchant's computer server 26. Thenotification 68 communicates via the communications network 32 to thedifferent merchant, such as the different merchant's computer server 70.The different merchant's computer server 70 may store and execute acomplimentary electronic commerce application 71. The notification 68describes the recommendation to remove an item from the record 30. Thenotification 68 thus informs the different merchant's server 70 of theattempted substitution.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustrating a counteroffer, according toexemplary embodiments. When the different merchant's computer server 70receives the notification 68, the different merchant 72 now knows thecustomer has authorized substitution of an item. The different merchant72 knows a competing merchant has offered better terms (such as a lowerprice), and the different merchant's item is about to be removed fromthe record 30. Here, however, the different merchant's computer server70 sends a counteroffer 74. The counteroffer 74 comprises an updatedoffer 76 to purchase the different merchant's item. The counteroffer 74may communicate to the customer's device 56 via the communicationsnetwork 24. The counteroffer 74 may additionally or alternativelycommunicate to the merchant's computer server 26 via the communicationsnetwork 24. The customer and/or the electronic commerce application 20may then compare the counteroffer 74 and decide which merchant's item ispreferred. The customer and/or the electronic commerce application 20selects the desired item and adds that desired item to the record 30,using known methods.

FIG. 6 depicts another possible operating environment for the exemplaryembodiments. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the electronic commerceapplication 20 residing in a computer system 110 (such as the computerserver 26 and/or the different merchant's computer server 70 shown inFIG. 5). FIG. 6, however, may also represent a block diagram of anycomputer, any communications device, or processor-controlled device. Theelectronic commerce application 20 operates within a system memorydevice. The electronic commerce application 20, for example, is shownresiding in a memory subsystem 112. The electronic commerce application20, however, could also reside in flash memory 114 or peripheral storagedevice 116. The computer system 110 also has one or more centralprocessors 118 executing an operating system. The operating system, asis well known, has a set of instructions that control the internalfunctions of the computer system 110. A system bus 120 communicatessignals, such as data signals, control signals, and address signals,between the central processor 118 and a system controller 122 (typicallycalled a “Northbridge”). The system controller 122 provides a bridgingfunction between the one or more central processors 118, a graphicssubsystem 124, the memory subsystem 112, and a PCI (PeripheralController Interface) bus 126. The PCI bus 126 is controlled by aPeripheral Bus Controller 128. The Peripheral Bus Controller 128(typically called a “Southbridge”) is an integrated circuit that servesas an input/output hub for various peripheral ports. These peripheralports could include, for example, a keyboard port 130, a mouse port 132,a serial port 134, and/or a parallel port 136 for a video display unit,one or more external device ports 138, and networking ports 140 (such asUSB or Ethernet). The Peripheral Bus Controller 128 could also includean audio subsystem 142. Those of ordinary skill in the art understandthat the program, processes, methods, and systems described herein arenot limited to any particular computer system or computer hardware.

One example of the central processor 118 is a microprocessor. AdvancedMicro Devices, Inc., for example, manufactures a full line of ATHLON™microprocessors (ATHLON™ is a trademark of Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.,One AMD Place, P.O. Box 3453, Sunnyvale, Calif. 94088-3453,408.732.2400, 800.538.8450, www.amd.com). The Intel Corporation alsomanufactures a family of X86 and P86 microprocessors (Intel Corporation,2200 Mission College Blvd., Santa Clara, Calif. 95052-8119,408.765.8080, www.intel.com). Other manufacturers also offermicroprocessors. Such other manufacturers include Motorola, Inc. (1303East Algonquin Road, P.O. Box A3309 Schaumburg, Ill. 60196,www.Motorola.com), International Business Machines Corp. (New OrchardRoad, Armonk, N.Y. 10504, (914) 499-1900, www.ibm.com), and TransmetaCorp. (3940 Freedom Circle, Santa Clara, Calif. 95054,www.transmeta.com). Those skilled in the art further understand that theprogram, processes, methods, and systems described herein are notlimited to any particular manufacturer's central processor.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the WINDOWS® (WINDOWS® is aregistered trademark of Microsoft Corporation, One Microsoft Way,Redmond Wash. 98052-6399, 425.882.8080, www.Microsoft.com) operatingsystem may be used. Other operating systems, however, are also suitable.Such other operating systems would include the UNIX® operating system(UNIX® is a registered trademark of the Open Source Group,www.opensource.org), the UNIX-based Linux operating system, WINDOWS NT®,and Mac® OS (Mac® is a registered trademark of Apple Computer, Inc., 1Infinite Loop, Cupertino, Calif. 95014, 408.996.1010, www.apple.com).Those of ordinary skill in the art again understand that the program,processes, methods, and systems described herein are not limited to anyparticular operating system.

The system memory device (shown as memory subsystem 112, flash memory114, or peripheral storage device 116) may also contain an applicationprogram. The application program cooperates with the operating systemand with a video display unit (via the serial port 134 and/or theparallel port 136) to provide a Graphical User Interface (GUI). TheGraphical User Interface typically includes a combination of signalscommunicated along the keyboard port 130 and the mouse port 132. TheGraphical User Interface provides a convenient visual and/or audibleinterface with a user of the computer system 110.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a computer-implemented method offacilitating electronic purchases. A merchant's server receives a recordof a customer's selection of items (Block 200). Some items in the recordare associated with a different merchant and were selected from thedifferent merchant's website. The record is inspected for itemsassociated with the different merchant (Block 202). A recommendation issent to the customer to remove a different merchant's item and toinstead add a substitute item associated with the merchant (Block 204).The recommendation may include a savings to the customer (Block 206).The savings describes an amount of money that will be saved by selectingthe merchant's substitute item. An approval is received from thecustomer for the merchant to remove the different merchant's item fromthe record (Block 208). The merchant removes the different merchant'sitem from the record (Block 210). The merchant adds to the record thesubstitute item associated with the merchant, such that the merchant'ssubstitute item replaces the different merchant's item (Block 212). Anotification may be sent from the merchant to the different merchant,and the notification describes the recommendation to remove thedifferent merchant's item (Block 214). A counteroffer may be receivedfrom the different merchant, and the counteroffer comprises an updatedoffer to purchase the different merchant's item and, thus, keep thedifferent merchant's item in the record (Block 216).

The electronic commerce application (shown as reference numeral 20 inFIGS. 1-6) may be physically embodied on or in a computer-readablemedium. This computer-readable medium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape,cassette, floppy disk, memory card, and large-capacity disk (such asIOMEGA®, ZIP®, JAZZ®, and other large-capacity memory products (IOMEGA®,ZIP®, and JAZZ® are registered trademarks of Iomega Corporation, 1821 W.Iomega Way, Roy, Utah 84067, 801.332.1000, www.iomega.com). Thiscomputer-readable medium, or media, could be distributed to end-users,licensees, and assignees. These types of computer-readable media, andother types not mention here but considered within the scope of theexemplary embodiments, allow the calendaring application to be easilydisseminated. A computer program product comprises the electroniccommerce application stored on the computer-readable medium. Theelectronic commerce application comprises computer-readable orcomputer-implemented instructions/code for managing communications.

The electronic commerce application may be physically embodied on or inany addressable (e.g., HTTP, I.E.E.E. 802.11, Wireless ApplicationProtocol (WAP)) wireless device capable of presenting an IP address.Examples could include a computer, a wireless personal digital assistant(PDA), an Internet Protocol mobile phone, or a wireless pager. Those ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that this solution applies toaddressing schemes that may be developed in the future.

While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect tovarious features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilledin the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited.Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplaryembodiments.

1. A computer-implemented method of facilitating electronic purchases,comprising: receiving at a merchant's server an electronic shopping cartcomprising a selection of items of a customer from different merchants,with some items associated with a different merchant and selected forpurchase from a different merchant's website; inspecting the electronicshopping cart for other items associated with the different merchant;sending a recommendation to the customer via a communications network toremove a different merchant's item and to instead add a substitute itemassociated with the merchant; seek authorization from the customer toreplace the different merchant's item with the substitute item; receivea response from the customer via the communications network thatauthorizes removal of the different merchant's item from the electronicshopping cart; replacing the different merchant's item in the electronicshopping cart with the substitute item associated with the merchant;sending a notification from the merchant to the different merchant, thenotification describing the recommendation to remove the differentmerchant's item; receiving a counteroffer from the different merchant,the counteroffer comprising an updated offer to purchase the differentmerchant's item; and permitting the customer to compare the counterofferwith the substitute item and to select a desired item to be added to theelectronic shopping cart.
 2. A computer-implemented method according toclaim 1, wherein sending the notification comprises sending thenotification to a server associated with to the different merchant.
 3. Acomputer-implemented method according to claim 1, further comprisingincluding descriptions of the selection of items in the electronicshopping cart.
 4. A computer-implemented method according to claim 1,wherein the sending the recommendation comprises sending a savingsdescribing an amount of money that will be saved by selecting thesubstitute item.
 5. A method according to claim 1, further comprisingcommencing a single sale transaction.
 6. A method according to claim 1,further comprising determining when a lower price may be offered for thedifferent merchant's item.
 7. A system, comprising: a processorexecuting code stored in memory that causes the processor to: receive ata merchant's server an electronic shopping cart comprising a selectionof items of a customer, with some items associated with the merchant andat least one item associated with a different merchant and selected forpurchase from the different merchant's website; prior to checkout,inspect the electronic shopping cart by the merchant's server for anitem associated with the different merchant; determine that the item isfound in the electronic shopping cart; determine that the merchantoffers a better term for the item; send a recommendation to the customervia a communications network that describes the better term offered bythe merchant and that seeks authorization from the customer to replacethe item with a substitute item from the merchant; receive a responsefrom the customer via the communications network that authorizes removalof the item from the electronic shopping cart; replace the item in theelectronic shopping cart with the substitute item from the merchant;send a notification from the merchant's server to a server associatedwith the different merchant that describes the recommendation to replacethe item with a substitute item from the merchant; receive acounteroffer from the server that comprises an updated offer to purchasethe item from the different merchant; and permit the customer to comparethe counteroffer with the substitute item and to select a desired itemto be added to the electronic shopping cart.
 8. A system according toclaim 7, further comprising means for receiving a denial to remove thedifferent merchant's item from the electronic shopping cart.
 9. A systemaccording to claim 7, further comprising means for sending a savings tothe customer, the savings describing an amount of money that will besaved by selecting the merchant's substitute item.
 10. A systemaccording to claim 7, wherein the code further causes the processor tosend descriptions of the selection of items in the electronic shoppingcart.
 11. A system according to claim 10, wherein the code furthercauses the processor to commence a single sale transaction.
 12. Anon-transitory computer program product storing comprisingcomputer-readable instructions for performing a method of facilitatingelectronic purchases, the method comprising: receiving at a merchant'sserver an electronic shopping cart comprising a selection of items of acustomer, with some items associated with the merchant and at least oneitem associated with a different merchant and selected for purchase froma different merchant's website; prior to checkout, inspecting theelectronic shopping cart by the merchant's server for the at least oneitem associated with the different merchant; determine that a differentmerchant's item is found in the electronic shopping cart; determine thatthe merchant offers a better term for the different merchant's item;send a recommendation to the customer via a communications network thatdescribes the better term offered by the merchant and that seeksauthorization from the customer to replace the different merchant's itemwith a substitute item from the merchant; receive a response from thecustomer via the communications network that authorizes removal of thedifferent merchant's item from the electronic shopping cart; replacingthe different merchant's item in the electronic shopping cart with thesubstitute item associated with the merchant; sending a notificationfrom the merchant's server to a server associated with the differentmerchant that describes the recommendation to replace the item with asubstitute item from the merchant; receiving a counteroffer from theserver that comprises an updated offer to purchase the item from thedifferent merchant; and permitting the customer to compare thecounteroffer with the substitute item and to select a desired item to beadded to the electronic shopping cart.
 13. A computer program productaccording to claim 12, further comprising instructions for receiving adenial to remove the different merchant's item from the electronicshopping cart.
 14. A computer program product according to claim 12,further comprising instructions for sending a savings to the customer,the savings describing an amount of money that will be saved byselecting the substitute item.
 15. A computer program product accordingto claim 12, further comprising instructions for commencing a singlesale transaction.